The Unbearable Lightness of Being Susan Hutchison

Susan Hutchison officially kicked off her campaign for King County Executive yesterday at a press conference where she made cutting the Business and Occupation Tax the centerpiece of her plan for fixing county government. Which is curious because A) cutting tax revenues seems a counterintuitive means of dealing with King County’s growing revenue shortfall, and B) King County doesn’t levy a B&O tax.

The best comeback of the day came from one of her opponents, Rep. Ross Hunter, the chair of the House Finance Committee, the committee from which a B&O tax cut would originate:

“If Hutchinson wants to change the B&O threshold she should run for the Legislature, not King County Executive.”

It’s good to see Hutchison finally talking specifics, but I mean, really… is this the best she can do? So intent on being the pro-business candidate she’s reduced to focusing on taxes the county doesn’t even charge?

Look, I’m all for local elected officials taking the lead in advocating for our region in Olympia—we could certainly use more of that around here—and I’m the first to tell you that the B&O tax is a ridiculous, 75-year-old kluge that disadvantages small businesses and startups. But adjusting the B&O threshold does little to address the broader problem with the way we tax businesses in Washington state, and does absolutely nothing to fix county government.

At best, this whole theme is just clever electioneering, allowing Hutchison to campaign as a tax-cutter while pushing a proposal that wouldn’t actually reduce revenues to a county government already struggling in the grip of the Great Recession. At worst, this focus shows a lack preparedness for coping with the immediate problems at hand, and a vague (if any) understanding of our broader tax structure mess, and the central, historical role the B&O tax plays within it.

Of course, we can never have a real conversation about fixing the B&O tax until the business community comes to the table to talk about the more rational corporate and/or personal income tax that would inevitably replace it. If Hutchison wants to take the lead on that effort, I’ll gladly reevaluate my opinion of her as a political lightweight.

Comments

This woman isn’t qualified to be a TV news reporter let alone chief executive of a public enterprise with a $658 million annual budget.

Three quarters of which, by the way, goes for public safety: Cops, courts, prosecutors, and jails.

So, you wingnuts who want even more budget cuts can go right ahead and take more cops off the streets and let more dangerous criminals out of jail. It won’t hurt you at the polls, because voters already know GOP claims to be the “law and order” party are horseshit.

@7 Your characterization of Burner as a “lightweight” perfectly illustrates why no one — and I mean NO ONE — takes the right seriously anymore. Whatever Burner is, she’s not a “lightweight.” The woman is intelligent, thoughtful, creative, and in the last couple of years has come up with more new ideas than the entire Republican Party has in the last 50 years! She is a woman who actually proposes solutions to real problems and knows how to get things done. You? A blathering idea mouthing meaningless words detached from reality.

Useless trivia: Harley Hoppe was a fraternity brother of my Dad. One night he borrowed my Dad’s tuxedo ( college men actually wore them then) to go to a dance. A year or so later, my Dad had the first occasion to wear the tux since Hoppe borrowed it. The tux Harley returned was a good two sizes smaller…and he was no longer at Willamette University. Whenever Hoppe appeared on TV in later years, my Dad would always holler “There’s the asshole who stole my tux!” heh..

“The woman is intelligent, thoughtful, creative,” Yes, She was a Microsoft Executive, I mean Director, well……Manager….and did you know that she likes economics so much that she got a degree in it?…well not really…..more like “special concentration”….as part of her CS degree. So yes, she is very creative about her resume….

in the last couple of years has come up with more new ideas than the entire Republican Party has in the last 50 years!

Ummm she hasn’t come up with any idea that wasn’t handed to her by her MoveOn-Code Pink-Naral-Emily’s list group think tank.

She is a woman who actually proposes solutions to real problems and knows how to get things done

Like running a succesful campaign? Like winning an election? Those kinds of “getting things done”?

Nice Try. Now she is “Executive Director” of a two person, MoveOn funded 501(c)3…..Wow is she moving up…

@18: And the “winner” in the election – Sheriff hairspray (the brain-imparired Reichert)?

The guy has been rated at the BOTTOM of the barrel for the entire congressional group. He can’t even get his own pet legislation passed and his intelligence…well, let’s just say his educational background is skimpy at best.

Plus, his crowning achievement is letting the Green river killer get away right under his nose.

Yup – thanks for showing us how pathetically stupid YOU are for supporting Richert. Burner is far more intelligent and cogent on the issues. than the rubber stamp Reichert.

Also, Reichert is playing a dishonest game by making his votes seem moderate, but voting with the hard right wing of his party on the key proceduarl votes and then switching on the actual votes.

Guess you support that kind of political deception too. Nice. Either Reichert has no priciples or he is deliberately hiding his real voting record.

As far as the idea thing goes, Riechert was the co-author of a position paper on getting out of Iraq. Hmmm, seems we are basically following that paper…and Reichert’s ideas?

Still waiting. All we know is that Reichert supports the bank bailouts but doesn’t seem to suppport the banking reforms. Typical.

@18: And the “winner” in the election – Sheriff hairspray (the brain-imparired Reichert)?

The guy has been rated at the BOTTOM of the barrel for the entire congressional group. He can’t even get his own pet legislation passed and his intelligence…well, let’s just say his educational background is skimpy at best.

Plus, his crowning achievement is letting the Green river killer get away right under his nose.

Yup – thanks for showing us how pathetically stupid YOU are for supporting Richert. Burner is far more intelligent and cogent on the issues. than the rubber stamp Reichert.

Also, Reichert is playing a dishonest game by making his votes seem moderate, but voting with the hard right wing of his party on the key proceduarl votes and then switching on the actual votes.

Guess you support that kind of political deception too. Nice. Either Reichert has no priciples or he is deliberately hiding his real voting record.

As far as the idea thing goes, Riechert was the co-author of a position paper on getting out of Iraq. Hmmm, seems we are basically following that paper…and Reichert’s ideas?

Still waiting. All we know is that Reichert supports the bank bailouts but doesn’t seem to suppport the banking reforms. Typical.

@18: And the “winner” in the election – Sheriff hairspray (the brain-imparired Reichert)?

The guy has been rated at the BOTTOM of the barrel for the entire congressional group. He can’t even get his own pet legislation passed and his intelligence…well, let’s just say his educational background is skimpy at best.

Plus, his crowning achievement is letting the Green river killer get away right under his nose.

Yup – thanks for showing us how pathetically stupid YOU are for supporting Richert. Burner is far more intelligent and cogent on the issues. than the rubber stamp Reichert.

Also, Reichert is playing a dishonest game by making his votes seem moderate, but voting with the hard right wing of his party on the key proceduarl votes and then switching on the actual votes.

Guess you support that kind of political deception too. Nice. Either Reichert has no priciples or he is deliberately hiding his real voting record.

As far as the idea thing goes, Riechert was the co-author of a position paper on getting out of Iraq. Hmmm, seems we are basically following that paper…and Reichert’s ideas?

Still waiting. All we know is that Reichert supports the bank bailouts but doesn’t seem to suppport the banking reforms. Typical.

Maybe you should actually look at the weak record of Reichert before you start crowing about Burner.

Oh yeah, and in case you still have not figured it out, RR did no vote for Burner because he doesn’t live in her district. Just a little slow, aren’t you….

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